U.S. Cellular reports fourth quarter and full year 2017 results

Adds handset connections; Drives increased revenue and profitability

As previously announced, U.S. Cellular will hold a teleconference February 23, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. CST. Listen to the call live via the Events & Presentations page of investors.uscellular.com.

United States Cellular Corporation (NYSE:USM) reported total operating revenues of $1,029 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, versus $1,006 million for the same period one year ago and Net income attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders and related diluted earnings per share were $273 million and $3.18, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2017. Excluding a benefit of $269 million related to the enactment of new tax legislation, Net income attributable to U.S. Cellular common shareholders and related diluted earnings per share excluding adjustments (non-GAAP) were $4 million and $0.05, respectively, for the three months ended December 31, 2017, compared to Net loss attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders and related diluted loss per share of $6 million and $0.07, respectively, in the same period one year ago.

U.S. Cellular reported total operating revenues of $3,890 million and $3,990 million for the years ended 2017 and 2016, respectively, and Net income attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders and related diluted earnings per share were $12 million and $0.14, respectively, for the year ended 2017. Excluding the benefit of $269 million related to the enactment of new tax legislation and the recognition of a loss on goodwill impairment of $370 million ($307 million, net of tax) in the third quarter, Net income attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders and related diluted earnings per share excluding adjustments (non-GAAP) were $50 million and $0.58, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to Net income attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders and related diluted earnings per share of $48 million and $0.56, respectively, for the year ended 2016.

"We made significant progress on the strategic imperatives we set for 2017," said Kenneth R. Meyers, U.S. Cellular President and CEO. "With the success of our Total Plans, which include an unlimited data option and no hidden fees, we were able to grow our customer base through the powerful combination of new customer additions and increased loyalty and customer engagement. Through a company-wide initiative to better align costs with our strategic imperatives, we were able to reduce expenses by some $100 million in 2017 and, importantly, identify and implement programs to generate additional savings in 2018 and beyond. This extensive attention on costs allowed us to offset a decline in revenues caused by competitive pricing pressures and generate a modest increase in profitability.

"Managing our investment spending was another imperative for us in 2017 as we remain focused on providing an exceptional wireless experience for our customers wherever they live, work or play. We do this by investing in our network to increase capacity and roll out new products and services. For example, VoLTE is now operational in Iowa and Wisconsin, providing enhanced features and higher quality calls. We were able to execute these network investments with capital spending well below our original expectations.

"As we look to 2018, I am optimistic about our ability to increase revenues through a larger subscriber base and an expectation for a more rational competitive environment. We will continue to control costs across the organization, and remain disciplined in managing investments of capital for network capacity and quality and for digitization initiatives."

2018 Estimated Results

U.S. Cellular's estimates of full-year 2018 results are shown below. Such estimates represent management's view as of February 23, 2018. Such forward‑looking statements should not be assumed to be current as of any future date. U.S. Cellular undertakes no duty to update such information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. There can be no assurance that final results will not differ materially from such estimated results.

2018 Estimated Results and Actual Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2017

2018 Estimated Results

Actual Results for the YearEnded December 31, 2017

(Dollars in millions)

Total operating revenues

$3,850-$4,050

$

3,890

Adjusted OIBDA (1)(2)

$625-$775

$

675

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

$765-$915

$

820

Capital expenditures

$500-$550

$

469

The following table provides a reconciliation of Net income to Adjusted OIBDA and Adjusted EBITDA for 2018 estimated results and actual results for the year ended December 31, 2017. In providing 2018 estimated results, U.S. Cellular has not completed the below reconciliation to Net income because it does not provide guidance for income taxes. Although potentially significant, U.S. Cellular believes that the impact of income taxes cannot be reasonably predicted; therefore, U.S. Cellular is unable to provide such guidance.

2018 Estimated Results

Actual Results for theYear Ended December 31,2017

(Dollars in millions)

Net income (GAAP)

N/A

$

15

Add back (deduct):

Income tax expense (benefit)

N/A

(287)

Income (loss) before income taxes (GAAP)

$

10-160

$

(272)

Add back:

Interest expense

110

113

Depreciation, amortization and accretion expense

625

615

EBITDA (Non-GAAP) (1)

$

745-895

$

456

Add back (deduct):

Loss on impairment of goodwill

–

370

(Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net

–

(1)

(Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges, net

–

(22)

(Gain) loss on asset disposals, net

20

17

Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) (1)

$

765-915

$

820

Deduct:

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities

130

137

Interest and dividend income

10

8

Adjusted OIBDA (Non-GAAP) (1)(2)

$

625-775

$

675

Note: Totals may not foot due to rounding differences.

(1)

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA are defined as net income adjusted for the items set forth in the reconciliation above. EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA are not measures of financial performance under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States (GAAP) and should not be considered as alternatives to Net income or Cash flows from operating activities, as indicators of cash flows or as measures of liquidity. U.S. Cellular does not intend to imply that any such items set forth in the reconciliation above are non-recurring, infrequent or unusual; such items may occur in the future. Management uses Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA as measurements of profitability, and therefore reconciliations to Net income are deemed appropriate. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA are useful measures of U.S. Cellular's operating results before significant recurring non-cash charges, gains and losses, and other items as presented above as they provide additional relevant and useful information to investors and other users of U.S. Cellular's financial data in evaluating the effectiveness of its operations and underlying business trends in a manner that is consistent with management's evaluation of business performance. Adjusted EBITDA shows adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and accretion, and gains and losses, while Adjusted OIBDA reduces this measure further to exclude Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities and Interest and dividend income in order to more effectively show the performance of operating activities excluding investment activities. The table above reconciles EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA to the corresponding GAAP measure, Net income or Income (loss) before income taxes.

(2)

A reconciliation of Adjusted OIBDA (Non-GAAP) to Operating income (GAAP) for full year 2017 actual results can be found on U.S. Cellular's website at investors.uscellular.com.

Access the call by phone at 877-407-8029 (US/Canada), no pass code required.

Before the call, certain financial and statistical information to be discussed during the call will be posted to investors.uscellular.com. The call will be archived on the Events & Presentations page of investors.uscellular.com.

About U.S. CellularUnited States Cellular Corporation provides a comprehensive range of wireless products and services, excellent customer support, and a high-quality network to customers with 5.1 million connections in 22 states. The Chicago-based company had 5,900 full- and part-time associates as of December 31, 2017. At December 31, 2017, Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. owned 83 percent of U.S. Cellular. For more information about U.S. Cellular, visit uscellular.com.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forward-looking statements. This includes all statements about the company's plans, beliefs, estimates, and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates, projections, and assumptions, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that may affect these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: intense competition; the ability to execute U.S. Cellular's business strategy; uncertainties in U.S. Cellular's future cash flows and liquidity and access to the capital markets; the ability to make payments on U.S. Cellular indebtedness or comply with the terms of debt covenants; impacts of any pending acquisitions/divestitures/exchanges of properties and/or licenses, including, but not limited to, the ability to obtain regulatory approvals, successfully complete the transactions and the financial impacts of such transactions; the ability of the company to successfully manage and grow its markets; the access to and pricing of unbundled network elements; the ability to obtain or maintain roaming arrangements with other carriers on acceptable terms; the state and federal telecommunications regulatory environment; the value of assets and investments; adverse changes in the ratings of U.S. Cellular debt securities by accredited ratings organizations; industry consolidation; advances in telecommunications technology; pending and future litigation; changes in income tax rates, laws, regulations or rulings; changes in customer growth rates, average monthly revenue per user, churn rates, roaming revenue and terms, the availability of wireless devices, or the mix of services and products offered by U.S. Cellular. Investors are encouraged to consider these and other risks and uncertainties that are discussed in the Form 8-K Current Report used by U.S. Cellular to furnish this press release to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are incorporated by reference herein.

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) - metric which is calculated by dividing a revenue base by an average number of connections and by the number of months in the period. These revenue bases and connection populations are shown below:

▪

Postpaid ARPU consists of total postpaid service revenues and postpaid connections.

▪

Prepaid ARPU consists of total prepaid service revenues and prepaid connections.

(2)

Average Billings Per User (ABPU) - non-GAAP metric which is calculated by dividing total postpaid service revenues plus equipment installment plan billings by the average number of postpaid connections and by the number of months in the period. Refer to the end of this release for a reconciliation of this metric to its most comparable GAAP metric.

(3)

Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA) - metric which is calculated by dividing total postpaid service revenues by the average number of postpaid accounts and by the number of months in the period.

(4)

Average Billings Per Account (ABPA) - non-GAAP metric which is calculated by dividing total postpaid service revenues plus equipment installment plan billings by the average number of postpaid accounts and by the number of months in the period. Refer to the end of this release for a reconciliation of this metric to its most comparable GAAP metric.

(5)

Churn rate represents the percentage of the connections that disconnect service each month. These rates represent the average monthly churn rate for each respective period.

(6)

Includes reseller and other connections.

(7)

Market penetration is calculated by dividing the number of wireless connections at the end of the period by the total population of consolidated operating markets as estimated by Nielsen.

Basic earnings (loss) per share attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders

$

3.21

$

(0.07)

>100%

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding

86

85

1%

Diluted earnings (loss) per share attributable to

U.S. Cellular shareholders

$

3.18

$

(0.07)

>100%

(1)

Equipment installment plan interest income is reflected as a component of Service revenues consistent with an accounting policy change effective January 1, 2017. All prior period numbers have been recast to conform to this accounting change.

As of December 31, 2017, U.S. Cellular early adopted ASU 2016-18 on a retrospective basis which requires that restricted cash be presented with Cash and cash equivalents in the Statement of Cash Flows. The Statement of Cash Flows includes restricted cash of less than $1 million as of December 31, 2017, and no restricted cash as of December 31, 2016.

United States Cellular Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheet Highlights

(Unaudited)

ASSETS

December 31,

2017

2016

(Dollars in millions)

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

$

352

$

586

Short-term investments

50

–

Accounts receivable from customers and others, net

843

727

Inventory, net

138

138

Prepaid expenses

79

84

Other current assets

21

23

Total current assets

1,483

1,558

Assets held for sale

10

8

Licenses

2,223

1,886

Goodwill

–

370

Investments in unconsolidated entities

415

413

Property, plant and equipment, net

2,320

2,470

Other assets and deferred charges

390

405

Total assets

$

6,841

$

7,110

United States Cellular Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheet Highlights

(Unaudited)

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

December 31,

2017

2016

(Dollars and shares in millions, except per share amounts)

Current liabilities

Current portion of long-term debt

$

18

$

11

Accounts payable

310

321

Customer deposits and deferred revenues

185

190

Accrued taxes

56

39

Accrued compensation

74

73

Other current liabilities

90

84

Total current liabilities

733

718

Deferred liabilities and credits

Deferred income tax liability, net

461

826

Other deferred liabilities and credits

337

302

Long-term debt, net

1,622

1,618

Noncontrolling interests with redemption features

1

1

Equity

U.S. Cellular shareholders' equity

Series A Common and Common Shares, par value $1 per share

88

88

Additional paid-in capital

1,552

1,522

Treasury shares

(120)

(136)

Retained earnings

2,157

2,160

Total U.S. Cellular shareholders' equity

3,677

3,634

Noncontrolling interests

10

11

Total equity

3,687

3,645

Total liabilities and equity

$

6,841

$

7,110

United States Cellular Corporation

Financial Measures and Reconciliations

(Unaudited)

Free Cash Flow

Three Months Ended

Year Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2017

2016

2017

2016

(Dollars in millions)

Cash flows from operating activities (GAAP)

$

76

$

86

$

469

$

501

Less: Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment

213

163

465

443

Free cash flow (Non-GAAP) (1)

$

(137)

$

(77)

$

4

$

58

(1)

Management uses Free cash flow as a liquidity measure and it is defined as Cash flows from operating activities less Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment. Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure which U.S. Cellular believes may be useful to investors and other users of its financial information in evaluating liquidity, specifically, the amount of net cash generated by business operations after deducting Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment.

Non-GAAP Adjustments

The following non-GAAP financial measures present certain information in the table below excluding the effect of the goodwill impairment charge, enactment of H.R.1, originally referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Tax Act) and other related tax effects. The goodwill impairment charge, which occurred in the third quarter of 2017, and the deferred tax benefit are being excluded in this presentation, as they cause current operations of U.S. Cellular not to be comparable with prior periods. U.S. Cellular believes these measures may be useful to investors and other users of its financial information when comparing the current period financial results with periods that were not impacted by such items.

Tax benefit represents the amount associated with the tax-amortizable portion of the loss on goodwill impairment.

Postpaid ABPU and Postpaid ABPA

U.S. Cellular presents Postpaid ABPU and Postpaid ABPA to reflect the revenue shift from Service revenues to Equipment sales resulting from the increased adoption of equipment installment plans. Postpaid ABPU and Postpaid ABPA, as previously defined herein, are non-GAAP financial measures which U.S. Cellular believes are useful to investors and other users of its financial information in showing trends in both service and equipment sales revenues received from customers.